December 2021 CE: WTF, FL?

The Something Awful Forums > Discussion > Internet VFW > December 2021 CE: WTF, FL?

Cugel the Clever: Apr 5, 2009; I LOVE AMERICA AND CAPITALISM DESPITE BEING POOR AS FUCK. I WILL NEVER RETIRE BUT HERE'S ANOTHER 200$ FOR UKRAINE, SLAVA

The story of the leadup to the MI shooting that's coming out is increasingly bizarre. There'd been chatter about a threat from the student for weeks; the school repeatedly denied it; the shooter's father bought the gun used in the shooting just days prior; the school had a meeting with the kid and his parents three hours before the shooting while he had the gun in his bag.

The 15-year-old going to be charged as an adult, which seems asinine when his dad, at least, might as well have pulled the trigger. The county prosecutor is at least considering charging the parents, but it's an open question whether any charges would even stick.

# ¿ Dec 2, 2021 05:09

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# ¿ May 14, 2024 12:55

Cugel the Clever: Apr 5, 2009; I LOVE AMERICA AND CAPITALISM DESPITE BEING POOR AS FUCK. I WILL NEVER RETIRE BUT HERE'S ANOTHER 200$ FOR UKRAINE, SLAVA

Platystemon posted:

There’s a spectrum.

It’s one thing if a fifteen‐year‐old drives car fast and kills somebody. Their brain is still developing and they may not entirely grasp the relationship between risky activities and consequences.

Intentionally shooting people is something else entirely. If they haven’t figured out that that’s bad by the age of fifteen, they never will.

Ehh, that's an argument for keeping them away from society at large, for sure, but I always hate that "charging as an adult" seems more about punishment than anything. Unless everyone just got profoundly unlucky and he has a defective brain, someone is responsible for raising him to be capable of this.

# ¿ Dec 2, 2021 07:30

Cugel the Clever: Apr 5, 2009; I LOVE AMERICA AND CAPITALISM DESPITE BEING POOR AS FUCK. I WILL NEVER RETIRE BUT HERE'S ANOTHER 200$ FOR UKRAINE, SLAVA

Soul Dentist posted:

Also I know I'm an idiot but I literally just missed the entire November thread because there wasn't a link at the end of October. Help me next time this is the ~~best~~ only news source I have!

i'm stealing this quote for my automatic bookmark updating feature request thread tia

# ¿ Dec 2, 2021 07:53

Cugel the Clever: Apr 5, 2009; I LOVE AMERICA AND CAPITALISM DESPITE BEING POOR AS FUCK. I WILL NEVER RETIRE BUT HERE'S ANOTHER 200$ FOR UKRAINE, SLAVA

MazelTovCocktail posted:

Well you need something to light all those coal facilities that dingbat helped create, because she was a chicken little about nuclear power.

To say nothing of selling her country's energy security (and this Eastern European physical security) down the river by further entrenching Germany's dependency on Russian LNG.

e: f; b

# ¿ Dec 2, 2021 20:51

Cugel the Clever: Apr 5, 2009; I LOVE AMERICA AND CAPITALISM DESPITE BEING POOR AS FUCK. I WILL NEVER RETIRE BUT HERE'S ANOTHER 200$ FOR UKRAINE, SLAVA

mlmp08 posted:

Why the gently caress would the DNC deliberately embrace the idea that the president has a “gas prices” lever? Prices fluctuate, vary a lot locally, and they aren’t high compared to the last 15ish years. So don’t claim credit, good or bad!

So loving stupid.

High gas prices are also a good thing. Good luck convincing terminally car-brained Americans if that, though.

We need less gas subsidization to further encourage the transition from ICE vehicles, plus an updated vehicle-miles-traveled tax to replace the gas tax to account for the transition to electric. A lot of localities fund their transit and road maintenance via gas tax, so things will start starving as more and more electrics take to the road (and electric cars are heavy as poo poo, adding to road maintenance concerns).

# ¿ Dec 3, 2021 01:06

Cugel the Clever: Apr 5, 2009; I LOVE AMERICA AND CAPITALISM DESPITE BEING POOR AS FUCK. I WILL NEVER RETIRE BUT HERE'S ANOTHER 200$ FOR UKRAINE, SLAVA

Saying that elections don't matter right now directly feeds into fascist victories. If they didn't, the fash wouldn't be trying so loving hard to keep their opponents from voting. Some folks on the left are so eager to demarcate themselves from liberals that they'll fall for blatant fash psyops intended to undermine their opposition.

# ¿ Dec 3, 2021 05:14

Cugel the Clever: Apr 5, 2009; I LOVE AMERICA AND CAPITALISM DESPITE BEING POOR AS FUCK. I WILL NEVER RETIRE BUT HERE'S ANOTHER 200$ FOR UKRAINE, SLAVA

Wingnut Ninja posted:

I'm usually pretty sanguine about supporting the lesser of two evils even if there isn't really a good choice, especially given the nature of a two-party system, but it's hard not to be cynical in the face of this perfect encapsulation of absolute loving worthlessness:

https://twitter.com/dscc/status/1466085902208450564

I'm not grasping what is turning this tweet into such a lightning rod. Folks seem to be pretending that this one tweet is the sum total of the Democrat's effort to protect abortion rights? Or that it's not entirely accurate that electing more Democrats (who aren't wolves-in-sheep's-clothing like Sinema or legacy blue dogs in otherwise solidly red seats like Manchin) could have avoided GOP control of Congress at key junctures? It's just one dumb succinct catchphrase on a platform suited to little more than dumb succinct catchphrases. What am I missing?

If the "lol, voting don't matter" folks were instead saying "voting is a bare minimum requirement toward effecting meaningful change; work to win hearts and minds; get active locally and make a difference where you can," that would be great! But just griping not only sounds like folks haven't gotten out from behind their computers in far too long, but are actively discouraging others from doing anything to change the situation.

The institutional Dems absolutely bear a ton of fault for their failures, it just seems many critiques amount to counterproductive, if cathartic, mockery.

Cugel the Clever fucked around with this message at 07:35 on Dec 3, 2021

# ¿ Dec 3, 2021 07:31

Cugel the Clever: Apr 5, 2009; I LOVE AMERICA AND CAPITALISM DESPITE BEING POOR AS FUCK. I WILL NEVER RETIRE BUT HERE'S ANOTHER 200$ FOR UKRAINE, SLAVA

Best Friends posted:

The Dems keep going right in part because they correctly surmise that their so-called left wing will follow them.

The Dems are objectively much further to the left than they were in the 90s, they just keep putting up candidates that are on the centrist side of their internal spectrum. Biden's rhetoric and policy has been to the left of Obama on a swathe of issues. That's not to say that anyone should stop pushing for more, just to not let hating on liberals take up all your time and energy while right-wingers are actively undermining liberal democracy.

Arven posted:

Also all you neolibs complaining about cspam and d&d need to take a look around you- this is one of the last neolib safe spaces on the forum.

Who ITT is a "neoliberal" and how exactly would you define the term?

# ¿ Dec 4, 2021 19:19

Cugel the Clever: Apr 5, 2009; I LOVE AMERICA AND CAPITALISM DESPITE BEING POOR AS FUCK. I WILL NEVER RETIRE BUT HERE'S ANOTHER 200$ FOR UKRAINE, SLAVA

Bored As gently caress posted:

Also uhhhhhhh NOT GREAT
https://twitter.com/MalcolmNance/status/1467195911193468933?s=20

Pure imperialist NATO propaganda! Russia not massing on Ukraine border, Ukraine massing on Russia border!! Russia cannot tolerate this aggression, Russia attack!!! :ussr:

fwiw it's probably just expensive posturing intended to extract concessions and destabilize

# ¿ Dec 4, 2021 19:56

Cugel the Clever: Apr 5, 2009; I LOVE AMERICA AND CAPITALISM DESPITE BEING POOR AS FUCK. I WILL NEVER RETIRE BUT HERE'S ANOTHER 200$ FOR UKRAINE, SLAVA

Gods, what is the city thinking putting up these bollards and planters to protect pedestrians and cyclists?? Do they have any idea how much damage hitting a hard obstacle instead of a soft human could do to my vehicle??

e: lovely snipe. In other news, my booster shot yesterday has me stuck on the couch today, it would seem. Definitely a stronger reaction than the initial two for me. Had some Inception-level fever dreams.

Cugel the Clever fucked around with this message at 19:50 on Dec 5, 2021

# ¿ Dec 5, 2021 19:47

Cugel the Clever: Apr 5, 2009; I LOVE AMERICA AND CAPITALISM DESPITE BEING POOR AS FUCK. I WILL NEVER RETIRE BUT HERE'S ANOTHER 200$ FOR UKRAINE, SLAVA

SMEGMA_MAIL posted:

IMPERIALIST 'MERICA REAL BAD, CHINA NOT SO BAD

The decision's proximate cause is the continued disappearance of Peng Shuai. She made sexual assault allegations against a party official and has since been subjected to a month or two of who knows what, with the only reason we know she's not dead is that she's been trotted forth in extremely controlled circumstances that unambiguously indicates a hostage situation. It's a clear threat by the CCP against it's population that airing any grievance that reflects poorly on the state might get you and your family house arrest at best, tortured and summarily executed say worst. Classic tyrant's playbook, but I guess it should be celebrated because US also bad in lesser ways?

The WTA has had the ovaries to put its profits in China on the line and stand with its athlete. The IOC and other organizations have acted true to their elite kleptocratic nature and not only have not objected, but have actively aided the regime in its efforts to reduce international outrage by taking part in the hostage videos. It's utterly loving heinous, even for the IOC.

Please folks, don't watch the Olympics.

Also, I know "wahh, evil US no help world with vaccines" has become a meme asking those eager to find any and every excuse to hate on the US, but I never see any actual context beyond general handwaving. Do you want to actually evidence whatever your complaint is? I know it's probably just more imperialist propaganda, but the DoS says they intended to donate 1.2b doses currently and have done 200m so far.

# ¿ Dec 6, 2021 17:07

Cugel the Clever: Apr 5, 2009; I LOVE AMERICA AND CAPITALISM DESPITE BEING POOR AS FUCK. I WILL NEVER RETIRE BUT HERE'S ANOTHER 200$ FOR UKRAINE, SLAVA

SMEGMA_MAIL posted:

What does it say about the US that a lot of their would countries would rather deal with loving China than the US now?

lol, that's because Western money often comes with perky strings attached like "take quantifiable measures to ensure this doesn't all get funneled to the elite in power" and "make an effort to hold meaningful democratic elections". China has no such compunctions against straight up filling the coffers of kleptocratic elites to bolster its influence and make its victims deeply endebted to it. The West sure doesn't have a great track record on that, either, but it at least is kind of trying depending on the admin in power.

# ¿ Dec 6, 2021 18:59

Cugel the Clever: Apr 5, 2009; I LOVE AMERICA AND CAPITALISM DESPITE BEING POOR AS FUCK. I WILL NEVER RETIRE BUT HERE'S ANOTHER 200$ FOR UKRAINE, SLAVA

SMEGMA_MAIL posted:

Okay your turn to provide examples of this ever happening

The previous government of Montenegro, for example, received a massive loan from China for a major infrastructure project leading from nowhere to nothing. The government is unable to repay the loan and the project is as of yet unfinished. The loan contract entitled China to seize Montenegrin land should repayment not take place.

quote:

Grgic is finishing his doctoral thesis on Chinese projects like this one in the Balkans, and he says all of them have one thing in common. "These kinds of projects are always political," he says. "And it's basically how everything is done in the Balkans. You use public money to redistribute them to your crony network ... and then use it for political purposes, and so on."

The previous government of Zambia had done similar, with the leader enriching his cronies while placing an incredible burden on subsequent governments.

These have only surfaced in the international media because the states involved had transitions of power to new governments. Others undoubtedly have similar circumstances, just lack the press freedoms or rotating ruling parties that might shine a light on them.

MazelTovCocktail posted:

Well let's not go crazy here. Western Foreign Aid has been at times equally if not more hilariously corrupt then even what the East was doing (look at the France and The Central African Empire).

Oh for sure! That's why I tried to call out the West's historic track record being pretty lovely, but there has been some halting progress toward higher expectations on recipient governments in the last few decades (though whether that just amounts to demanding they fake a bunch of documentation that they totally are handling the money appropriately, it's hard to say).

# ¿ Dec 6, 2021 22:01

Cugel the Clever: Apr 5, 2009; I LOVE AMERICA AND CAPITALISM DESPITE BEING POOR AS FUCK. I WILL NEVER RETIRE BUT HERE'S ANOTHER 200$ FOR UKRAINE, SLAVA

Soul Dentist posted:

Good news: that cash out train is in a weird crypto coin nobody's heard of

That just means you're getting in early! BUY BUY BUY

# ¿ Dec 6, 2021 22:56

Cugel the Clever: Apr 5, 2009; I LOVE AMERICA AND CAPITALISM DESPITE BEING POOR AS FUCK. I WILL NEVER RETIRE BUT HERE'S ANOTHER 200$ FOR UKRAINE, SLAVA

SMEGMA_MAIL posted:

Cool cool but that�s exactly zero times the United States �enforced democracy� or �prevented corruption� via IMF or similar loans. You�re not even responding to what I�m saying unless your point is �it�s okay for the US to do something bad because China did something bad�

Woops, my bad, I misread the initial post as specifically asking for examples of Chinese imperialism via aid/loans/trade instead of a Western example showcasing leveraging the same to advance democracy. That's what I get for firing off a quick reply during a work break.

I don't have anything specific to the aid and loans, though there are undoubtedly plethora articles, theses, and books written on the subject in the last century, each assessing varying levels of efficacy of expectations placed on the recipient (and, for that matter, the sincerity behind the ask). One obvious example of the US actively conditioning its support (in the form of trade policy, which I don't think is meaningfully shifting the goal posts) is when the US Congress overrode Reagan's veto of the Comprehensive Anti-Apartheid Act, which was a significant nail in the coffin of South African apartheid.

Seems like a meaningful step to me and one I hope to see repeated to finally force Israel to its own apartheid regime.

# ¿ Dec 7, 2021 05:49

Cugel the Clever: Apr 5, 2009; I LOVE AMERICA AND CAPITALISM DESPITE BEING POOR AS FUCK. I WILL NEVER RETIRE BUT HERE'S ANOTHER 200$ FOR UKRAINE, SLAVA

Memes are the future of diplomacy
https://twitter.com/Ukraine/status/1468206078940823554?t=AiaXEb5ldo7mvvynfAhnPA&s=19

maffew buildings posted:

wow no way we're walking in to another debacle because we have surely learned what happens when these people are written off as nothing but fodder for feeling intellectually and morally superior

Is the "we" you're talking about Russia? Because they're the ones threatening belligerence :shrug:

# ¿ Dec 8, 2021 03:39

Cugel the Clever: Apr 5, 2009; I LOVE AMERICA AND CAPITALISM DESPITE BEING POOR AS FUCK. I WILL NEVER RETIRE BUT HERE'S ANOTHER 200$ FOR UKRAINE, SLAVA

Trading off higher per-square-foot prices and cost of living in exchange for having all my weekly/monthly errand destinations being within a 15-minute walk was a game changer for me. Especially if there's the option to ditch a car, it more than makes up for it.

# ¿ Dec 17, 2021 02:56

Cugel the Clever: Apr 5, 2009; I LOVE AMERICA AND CAPITALISM DESPITE BEING POOR AS FUCK. I WILL NEVER RETIRE BUT HERE'S ANOTHER 200$ FOR UKRAINE, SLAVA

SMEGMA_MAIL posted:

I sure as gently caress learned my lesson. I’m going to try to get involved in local politics when I move back to California next year but gently caress the blue dogs.

Everyone ITT who gives a drat about politics should get involved in the local level in some way, no matter how small, because that's where you stand the biggest chance of making an actual impact. Doesn't even have to be election-related or something traditionally perceived as political, find something you have time for and interest in and do what you can to push it in the right direction. That could mean a mayoral or state rep race, orgs pressuring reps for specific policy, your local school board or HOA, or helping the disadvantaged. Every bit helps.

SMEGMA_MAIL posted:

I’m not voting for Biden again. They can’t think this is acceptable. How many more years of this game can they play?

What were you expecting when you voted Biden? What do you think not voting for him will achieve? I voted Biden in the general openly recognizing that he wouldn't magically fix everything or give me much anything I wanted and would be, at best, just delaying the GOP's fascist ambitions. But I'd rather the country be muddling along on the precipice than plummeting off it because the latter doesn't have a route back to good that doesn't involve rivers of blood (and coming out the other side on top, if at all, is far, far from a sure thing). It buys time for us to make the inroads we can, where we can, and for the GOP to kill off more of its own base.

Don't get me wrong, I didn't vote Clinton in '16 because she was a uniquely terrible candidate and, thankfully, my state was sure to go blue regardless. I'm all for protest votes, just have to be sure it's doing no more harm than good.

# ¿ Dec 17, 2021 07:46

Cugel the Clever: Apr 5, 2009; I LOVE AMERICA AND CAPITALISM DESPITE BEING POOR AS FUCK. I WILL NEVER RETIRE BUT HERE'S ANOTHER 200$ FOR UKRAINE, SLAVA

BIG HEADLINE posted:

It would not shock me in the slightest if Omicron was downplayed just to get people traveling and shopping before the end of Q4 and once that's no longer required the narrative is going to shift to "whoopsie!" while they count their profits.

So the ______ sent a memo to the media and the commentariat to play down Omicron to boost... air travel and gas purchases??

# ¿ Dec 18, 2021 21:37

Cugel the Clever: Apr 5, 2009; I LOVE AMERICA AND CAPITALISM DESPITE BEING POOR AS FUCK. I WILL NEVER RETIRE BUT HERE'S ANOTHER 200$ FOR UKRAINE, SLAVA

facialimpediment posted:

More South Africa numbers:

https://twitter.com/thehowie/status/1472563923010428929?t=zfLt80AI4efI2b8PLlsCDg&s=19

But, like, what if these scientists are just putting out analyses that feed more bodies into the gears of capitalism?? Makes u think... I bet this dude's boss pulled him into a dark room and said, "Downplay the omicron variant to pack the airports!!" and this guy jumped up and said "yes, sir!"

puppets on strings man, were all puppets in strings

To be clear, please don't travel for the holidays this year and limit unnecessary exposure because this is all going to kill a lot of people. Indulging in conspiratorial thinking about how omicron is being taken about thus far, though, doesn't help anyone.

Cugel the Clever fucked around with this message at 17:05 on Dec 19, 2021

# ¿ Dec 19, 2021 17:02

Cugel the Clever: Apr 5, 2009; I LOVE AMERICA AND CAPITALISM DESPITE BEING POOR AS FUCK. I WILL NEVER RETIRE BUT HERE'S ANOTHER 200$ FOR UKRAINE, SLAVA

golden bubble posted:

https://www.theguardian.com/world/2021/dec/16/chile-far-right-candidate-jose-antonio-kast-win-presidency

https://www.cnn.com/2021/12/19/americas/chile-election-gabriel-boric-intl-nk/index.html

When confronted with a Pinochet supporter who is literally the son of a Nazi who escaped to South America, the liberals of Chile actually threw their weight behind the leftists, and as a result the fascist lost.

poo poo, somebody'd better tell them that they could have forced the socialist to better align with their own priorities in future elections if they'd just thrown up their hands and let the fascist win.

Less snarky: awesome! Don't know a drat thing about the new guy but getting a proper socialist in office is a huge win (as is keeping fascists out of power).

Cugel the Clever fucked around with this message at 05:34 on Dec 20, 2021

# ¿ Dec 20, 2021 05:31

Cugel the Clever: Apr 5, 2009; I LOVE AMERICA AND CAPITALISM DESPITE BEING POOR AS FUCK. I WILL NEVER RETIRE BUT HERE'S ANOTHER 200$ FOR UKRAINE, SLAVA

Is the graphics card issue still just crypto tulip mania? I really wish countries would crack down on that poo poo. I wonder how much money the graphics card companies are behind the scenes tossing money at crypto evangelists to keep demand through the roof.

# ¿ Dec 21, 2021 03:18

Cugel the Clever: Apr 5, 2009; I LOVE AMERICA AND CAPITALISM DESPITE BEING POOR AS FUCK. I WILL NEVER RETIRE BUT HERE'S ANOTHER 200$ FOR UKRAINE, SLAVA

Yikes.
https://twitter.com/washingtonpost/status/1473818157144064006?t=jtoc-mbrV83Tpp1iHG98Uw&s=19

Ignore the shitheel conservatives in the replies making the bogus comparison between a statue honoring murdered democratic activists to removal of statues honoring traitors in the US.

# ¿ Dec 24, 2021 00:59

Cugel the Clever: Apr 5, 2009; I LOVE AMERICA AND CAPITALISM DESPITE BEING POOR AS FUCK. I WILL NEVER RETIRE BUT HERE'S ANOTHER 200$ FOR UKRAINE, SLAVA

Nick Soapdish posted:

I'm gonna need a link to this as I need one and the variants on Etsy are inferior.

# ¿ Dec 29, 2021 04:03

Cugel the Clever: Apr 5, 2009; I LOVE AMERICA AND CAPITALISM DESPITE BEING POOR AS FUCK. I WILL NEVER RETIRE BUT HERE'S ANOTHER 200$ FOR UKRAINE, SLAVA

Always worth reminding those who haven't followed the whole saga that Caro did some Very Bad poo poo in Libya, driven by severe mental health issues. That's not in any way a justification of his completely unrelated and unjustified torture by the Assad regime, just a note that he shouldn't be romanticized or mythologized.

# ¿ Dec 30, 2021 00:33

Cugel the Clever: Apr 5, 2009; I LOVE AMERICA AND CAPITALISM DESPITE BEING POOR AS FUCK. I WILL NEVER RETIRE BUT HERE'S ANOTHER 200$ FOR UKRAINE, SLAVA

Defenestrategy posted:

I mean the standard for success at this point is 1) it happening and 2) no one died or was defrauded

The bolded part is uncertain given his documented activities (not that I have the specifics on hand). If he didn't harm anyone, it's a matter of pure luck. If I remember correctly, some credit may go to the locals shepherding him around who came to realize how out of it he was and kept him from doing too much harm after his firing wildly at homes and LARPing as a medic.

But I'm just regurgitating third-hand info from podcasts on the subject from years ago and occasional references in the D&D Middle East thread, so take that with the appropriate grain of salt.

# ¿ Dec 30, 2021 00:45

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# ¿ May 14, 2024 12:55

Cugel the Clever: Apr 5, 2009; I LOVE AMERICA AND CAPITALISM DESPITE BEING POOR AS FUCK. I WILL NEVER RETIRE BUT HERE'S ANOTHER 200$ FOR UKRAINE, SLAVA

I hope 2022 ends the British monarchy.

# ¿ Dec 31, 2021 21:55

The Something Awful Forums > Discussion > Internet VFW > December 2021 CE: WTF, FL?